Very limited fare now, so late in the season - just Common
Darters and Migrant Hawkers seem to be left now.

Common Darter, Shellingford Pit, Oxon

31 August 2014

Flight shots are never easy but the conditions helped for this
one.

Migrant Hawker, Shellingford Pit, Oxon

31 August 2014

Good numbers present today.

Small Red Damselfly, Cothill Fen NNR, Oxon

16 August
2014

Several still present at this site which was very
waterlogged compared with previous years. Care needed!

There were also several Keeled Skimmer but they were not being
obliging in the blustery, dull conditions.

Click to
enlarge.

Small-red eyed Damselflies, Shellingford Pit, Oxon

3
August 2014

Note the remarkable effect of surface tension
keeping the female from being fully submerged.

Brown Hawker, Shellingford Pit, Oxon

3 August 2014

One unusually settled in a reasonably accessible location.

Small red-eyed Damselfly, Shellingford Pit, Oxon

27
July 2014

One of at least 5 at this site that was simply
buzzing with Odonata activity this afternoon in the sunny, hot
conditions.

Common Hawker, Ardsheilach, Ardnamurchan, Scotland

13
July 2014

A nicely maturing male. Seen on another abortive
hunt for a Northern Emerald in mediocre conditions.

Scarce Emerald Damselfly, Thompson Common, Norfolk

22
June 2014

Done it!

11 years after starting
photographing British dragonflies, I have now managed to get
images of all those regularly occurring in this country!

These damselflies were difficult to reliably separate from Common
Emeralds, but this early in the season I believe that the great
majority of adults at this site where Scarce Emeralds. They all
seemed noticeably larger than Common Emeralds.

This one
just shows a lack of pruinescence at the rear of S2. Also the
white fringes to the pterostigma appear very noticeable which I
don't think is so obvious on Common. Also supporting the Scarce ID
is the metallic area on the lateral lobes of the prothorax (when
viewed at 1:1)!

Scarce Emerald Damselflies, Thompson Common, Norfolk

22
June 2014

The male of this mating pair shows much more
clearly the lack of pruinescence at the rear of segment 2. Again
the white fringes to the pterostigma can be seen.

In the
female, the two spots on S2 do appear reasonably rectangular
(which is diagnostic of Scarce), but this is hard to sure of, even
at 1:1.

Norfolk Hawker, Strumpshaw Fen RSPB, Norfolk

21 June
2014

Very easy to see along the Meadow Trail in good
numbers - the lovely warm weather helped.

Click to enlarge

Norfolk Hawker, Strumpshaw Fen RSPB, Norfolk

21 June
2014

See above. The breeze was slowing them down quite a
bit at one point, so I managed to get this flight shot - never
easy with dragonflies!

Common Blue Damselfly, Otmoor, Oxon

14 June
2014

Not the best weather for dragonflies, and only the
damsels were posing for photos today!

I seem to be finding
it hard this season to connect with anything much larger!

Large Red Damselfly, Harwell Laboratory, Oxon

18 May
2014

A surprisingly productive brief visit to the Lagoon -
20+ of these and numerous Azures.

Click to enlarge.

Banded Demoiselle, River Thames near Cholsey, Oxon

17 May 2014

There were hundreds of these present along the footpath south
from Cholsey Marsh, before the railway bridge, but no Club-tails
that I could find.